(Erza's POV)
I arrived just in time.
Yuuta's scream tore through the air like a blade. It wasn't just pain—it was something deeper. A part of him cracking open. I felt it like a tremor in my chest.
There he was, on his knees, hunched over, hands clutching his head like he was trying to hold himself together. His breath came in short gasps. His skin was pale with sweat. His aura—usually so steady—was flickering, unraveling.
I couldn't move. Not yet.
Beside me, Grandfather stood still, watching with eyes that had seen centuries. But even he looked... unsettled.
"I thought we had more time," I said quietly, my voice barely audible over the wind.
He didn't look at me. "So did I."
The guilt settled on my shoulders like a familiar weight. We had sealed his memories to protect him—from what he used to be, from what he could become again.
And now… they were waking up.
"It's happening," I whispered.
Grandfather finally turned his head. "It was only a matter of time. Something must've triggered it."
My eyes drifted back to Yuuta. Still trembling. Still trying to fight it. Even in pain, he hadn't screamed our names. Hadn't demanded answers. He just endured it.
He still trusted us.
Trusted me.
Even after all the silence. Even after I left.
Grandfather's hand rested gently on my shoulder. "You know this can only get worse. If you stay close, he'll remember faster. He'll suffer more."
"I know."
But leaving him now felt impossible. It felt like betrayal.
Footsteps approached behind us. Fiona.
She had been quiet since Yuuta collapsed, giving him space, giving me space. But I could feel it—the conflict in her aura. Worry. Guilt. Fear.
"You were right," she said, her voice quiet, almost reverent. "Everything you told me... it's all true."
Grandfather raised an eyebrow. "You told her?"
I nodded. "She needed to know. She's the only one close to him now. Closer than I've allowed myself to be."
Fiona didn't deny it. She just nodded, slowly, and looked at Yuuta the way I used to. With fear. And love.
When I turned back to her, the next words came out more awkwardly than I expected. "Fiona… can I ask you something?"
She blinked. "Yeah, of course."
"How do people here earn money?"
"…What?"
"I want to take care of everything," I said, firmer now. "I want to carry it all so Yuuta doesn't have to. I want to give him peace. And I know money matters in this world."
Fiona looked at me like I'd asked how to build a spaceship.
"Well… that's a pretty big goal," she said. "If you want full independence—housing, health care, savings, security—you're looking at at least a million dollars. Probably more."
I let the number settle in my mind.
A million.
It sounded like a mountain. But I'd climbed mountains before.
"How do I earn that?"
She laughed once, nervously. "I mean… the honest way? Slowly. You could model—seriously, you'd break the internet—but something tells me that's not your style."
"It's not," I said flatly. "I won't be an object for humans to gawk at."
"Okay, okay," she said, hands raised. "Then maybe restaurant work, or retail. But we're talking two to three thousand a month. It'd take years."
Too slow.
I looked at her, eyes narrowing. "How much do you make?"
She hesitated. "Ten grand per job. Sometimes more. Depends how dangerous it is."
I went still. "Dangerous?"
Fiona shrugged. "That's what the money's for."
My gaze drifted back to Yuuta. His face was calmer now, his breathing even, but I could still feel the ripple of chaos inside him.
"I don't have the luxury of time."
"Erza…"
"I want to join your organization."
Fiona stared at me. "Wait—seriously? You want to become a field agent?"
"I need money. Fast. And I'm not afraid to fight." I looked down. My fists had curled without me realizing. "I won't let him suffer alone. Not anymore."
She didn't speak right away.
She just watched me, and for a long moment, I wasn't sure if she'd say yes. Then slowly, her expression softened into a kind of bittersweet acceptance.
"You really love him, don't you?"
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to sinec it will only hurt me.
Fiona gave me a look—half curiosity, half concern. "Alright, I'll let you in… But what about Elena? You planning to take her on missions now?"
I shook my head. "No. Grandfather's staying behind. And school starts soon—she'll have structure."
Fiona raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You're letting a dragon child go to school with humans?"
I sighed. "I didn't want to. But Yuuta insisted. He wanted her to have a normal life. And for once… I agreed with him."
Behind us, Grandfather wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye.
"Oh my, how blessed I must be. My precious great granddaughter… going to school like a civilian. I never imagined such peace in my lifetime."
"Shut it, old man," I muttered, though a small smile tugged at my lips.
Then—something caught my eye near the lake. A figure. Tall. Slim. Wearing strange tech goggles that gleamed in the light. My smile faded.
"Wait…" I narrowed my eyes. "That guy… I've seen him before."
Fiona followed my gaze. "Where?"
I pointed toward the water's edge. "There. The guy in the white coat."
She squinted, then her expression brightened. "Oh, that's look like Dr. Roy."
I froze. "Dr. Roy?"
"My eyes lit up with recognition. "Right! I kidnapped him once when Yuuta was sick."
She stared at me. "You what?"
"Yes, it's better if we get him checked physically too—just to make sure he's actually okay." I said to myself
I striding toward him.
He was chatting casually with some woman, looking like he hadn't a care in the world. Then our eyes met.
He froze.
Before he could even react, I grabbed him by the back collar and yanked him closer.
"You," I said flatly. "You're coming with me, it's an emergency."
The woman beside him screamed and bolted like a startled deer.
"What the hell?!" he snapped, trying to squirm away. "Who are you, psycho?!"
Then recognition hit him like a truck.
His face drained of color. "Oh no. Not you. Not again. Please! Someone help me! She's crazy! She'll kill me!"
I rolled my eyes. "Relax, Doctor. I just need you to check on Yuuta."
He was already trembling. "I'm not going near him if you're standing there! You nearly threw me off a third-floor balcony last time!"
"I said sorry, didn't I?" I smirked. "Sort of."
"You said, 'It builds character!' and then made me eat raw meat as payment!"
Fiona caught up, panting. "You two know each other?!"
As he stumbled toward Yuuta like a terrified intern, Fiona glanced at me, wide-eyed.
"You know he's one of the most famous doctors in Lebius, right?" Fiona said.
"Oh, I know," I said coolly. "I found him on the highway once. Best decision I ever made."
"You kidnapped me!" Dr. Roy wailed in the background. "You MONSTER! I still have nightmares!"
I smirked.
He may be famous… but I was persuasive.
Dr. Roy whimpered, wiping his glasses. "Please just let me check the patient. Anything to get away from this lunatic…"
I clapped him on the shoulder. "Atta boy. Just don't pass out this time."
He flinched.
Fiona looked between us, equal parts horrified and amused. "This… is going to be interesting."
Dr. Roy knelt beside Yuuta, pressing two fingers gently to his neck and placing the other hand just above his heart. For a moment, there was only silence, the soft hum of the festival fading into background noise.
He let out a relieved sigh. "Vitals are steady. Breathing's normal. No fever. Nothing seems damaged."
I leaned in. "Then why the hell is he getting weaker ?"
He squinted, glancing at Yuuta's face. "See that twitch in his eyebrow? It's minor—but it's consistent. He's dreaming. Or more likely, having a nightmare. Probably something traumatic triggering a subconscious response.Because of that he may have lot of stress and less Appetite, which lead him weak and also you can see dark circles, it's say different story maybe he is not getting proper sleep."
I blinked. "You figured that out… just by looking at him? No mana detection, no scan?"
Dr. Roy gave me an incredulous look. "Mana? Are you serious? I told you before—I'm a doctor, not a wizard. You people still think you're in some fantasy anime."
My brow twitched. "Do you want to be thrown into the lake again?"
He didn't answer. Just turned pale and instinctively backed up.
"Thought so," I said, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off the ground a few inches. "You forgot who you're talking to. Show some respect, human."
"P-please," he stammered. "I didn't mean anything. Mercy, Your Majesty."
Grandfather chuckled from nearby, arms crossed. "Hoho… fascinating. No magic, and yet such detailed analysis. Human science really has evolved."
Dr. Roy glanced at him like he'd found an unexpected ally. "Exactly! Thank you, wise old men! Finally, someone who understands me!"
I rolled my eyes and let him drop to the grass with a thump. "Just answer the damn question. What are you doing here?"
He looked down at his own hand. His eyes landed on the empty ring finger, and for a moment, he seemed… genuinely downcast.
"I came here to find someone," he muttered. "The woman I've been searching for… I thought maybe she'd be here. But of course—you showed up. Again. And ruined everything."
He sank into the grass like a broken man. "I'm going to die alone."
The sight of him so dramatically defeated almost made me laugh.
Almost.
"Fine," I said, glancing sideways at Fiona. "You can date her instead."
Fiona's head snapped toward me. "Excuse me?!"
I shrugged. "You're single. He's desperate. Could be worse."
Fiona glared. "Why would I date someone this unstable men, you know I hate Doctor's, and moreover he look like My Dad age."
Dr. Roy let out a tiny gasp like he'd been shot in the chest. He flopped back into the grass, eyes wide, as if her rejection had physically hit him.
Grandfather stifled a laugh, then stepped forward and picked him up like a sack of potatoes. "I'll take him to a nearby clinic. You two really have no mercy."
"Good," I said, crossing my arms. "Get him out of my sight."
Grandfather glanced over his shoulder with a sly grin. "And you—don't go threatening every man who doesn't worship the ground you walk on."
I rolled my eyes. "Just make sure you don't flirt with the nurses again. Honestly, you've got great-grandkids and still no shame."
He laughed as he carried the sniffling doctor off toward the street.
Once he was gone, Fiona looked at me sideways. "You really think threatening people is going to solve everything?"
I smirked. "It's worked so far."
She shook her head with a sigh. "Dragons…"
I met her gaze, a little softer now. "Only the ones who fight for their own."
(Yuuta's Nightmare)
The world was silent.
Not quiet—dead.
No wind. No breath. No heartbeat. Just a thick, crushing stillness like the air had forgotten how to exist.
I blinked.
The world rippled—like ink dropped in water. Black. Endless. Wrong.
And then… I heard it.
A whisper, soft as breath behind my ear.
"My child…"
I turned.
Slowly. Too slowly.
My limbs didn't feel like mine. My body moved like it was underwater—or puppeted by something else.
And then I saw her.
No—it.
A figure. Towering. Draped in tattered robes that melted into the ground like smoke. Her hair floated in slow motion, twisting in air that didn't move. Fingers too long. Skin too pale. A face hidden behind a veil of shadows.
But those eyes.
Two pale orbs glowed in the dark. Not bright—just… endless. Hollow. Like looking through glass at something ancient and wrong.
"I found you," she said, stepping forward.
The voice—no, voices. Multiple. A chorus of whispers, sobs, and screams layered on top of each other.
"My only begotten son."
I took a step back. My foot hit nothing.
I was standing on a void.
Her face didn't change, but I felt it—a smile. Warm. Rotten. Like something that had died smiling.
"You don't have to be afraid," she said, arms stretching out. Her nails dragged through the dark like knives over silk.
"Come here."
"No…" I muttered. My throat felt tight, like something was squeezing it from the inside.
I didn't know why I was afraid—just that I had to run. Even though there was nowhere to go.
"I love you, My child."
Her voice cracked as if she meant it. As if it hurt.
"Even if you forget me… even if you hate me… I made you."
Black tears slid down what might have been her face. They dripped onto the invisible ground and sizzled, burning holes into the air.
"I won't let them take you again."
And then—the hands.
Crawling out from behind her. Beneath her. Inside her.
Pale, trembling, twitching fingers. Dozens at first. Then hundreds. Reaching. Grasping. Clawing for me.
Grabbing at the air like starving children.
"Come back to me."
"Come back to your mother."
I screamed—but no sound came out.
The hands closed in.
To be continued.